MINERALS OF RUSSIA 



By E. P. HENDERSON 



Assistant Curator, Division of Physical and Chemical Geology, 



U. S. National Museum 



The International Geological Congress was held in Moscow in 1937, 

 and it was my good fortune to represent the Smithsonian Institution 

 at the meetings. As is customary at these congresses, several pre- and 

 post-congress excursions were offered, and advantage was taken of 

 one of each to see the geology as well as the countryside of Russia. 

 Before the congress I spent a profitable month in visiting the museums 

 and scientific institutions in England, Scotland, Norway, Sweden, and 

 Finland. On June 30, I crossed the Finnish-Russian boundary just 

 one day before the pre-congress excursion departed from Leningrad 

 to the Kola Peninsula, the northernmost point of European Russia. 



Now at last I was within a vast country whose language and eco- 

 nomic structure differed from any other I had heretofore visited. 

 Being in possession of much advance advice and instruction, yes, even 

 warnings, 1 found myself always interpreting everything I encoun- 

 tered or experienced in accordance with knowledge gained by some- 

 one else. I believe most newcomers to Russia experience this same 

 mental confusion, and it was not until I had been there several days — 

 in fact, about as many days as the average American tourist stays — 

 that I began to see Russia as it really is. I found the Russians easy 

 people to meet and be friendly with, so that even the lack of a com- 

 mon language did not altogether hinder the making of friends or the 

 exchange of many simple courtesies. 



The trip to the Kola Peninsula was made by train, supplemented 

 by boat and motor car. The entire trip can be made by train, but it 

 was our wish to see the geology and mineral resources of this coun- 

 try, and many interesting side trips were arranged for us. There are 

 two political subdivisions in this territory, Karelia, and the Murmansk 

 District of the Leningrad Province ; much of the latter lies north of 

 the Arctic Circle. 



Karelia is essentially a wooded country, about 90 percent of the 

 country being covered with fine timber. Lumbering has been and 

 perhaps will remain for years the principal industry of this district. 

 The mining industry of Karelia, although very young, is growing 

 rapidly. The region is not richly mineralized with metallic deposits, 

 but there are abundant sandstones and igneous rocks which are being 

 extensively used in Leningrad and Moscow for building and paving 



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